the comic servant in mozart's operas, abram loft
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8/10/2019 The Comic Servant in Mozart's Operas, Abram Loft
1/15
The Comic Servant in Mozart's OperasAuthor(s): Abram LoftSource: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Jul., 1946), pp. 376-389Published by: Oxford University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/739197.
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8/10/2019 The Comic Servant in Mozart's Operas, Abram Loft
2/15
THE
COMIC
SERVANT
IN
MOZART'S
OPERAS
By
ABRAM
LOFT
i.
How
ridiculous and
strange;
What a
monstruous
proposition,
That I
should
condescend
to
change
My
dress,
my
name,
and
my
condition,
To
follow
Xanthias,
and
behave
Like a
mortal and
a
slave;
To be set
to watch
outside
While he
wallow'd in
his
pride,
Tumbling on a purple bed;
While
I
waited with
submission,
To receive
a
broken
head;
Or be kicked
upon
suspicion
Of
impertinence
and
peeping
At
the
joys
that
he was
reaping.
2.
Gaily
he
within is
sporting,
I must
keep
off all
intrusion,
For his
lordship
needs
seclusion;
I
myself
will
go
acourting,
I the
gentleman
will
play,
But with him
no more
I'll
stay.
T
HE
two
bits of dramatic verse that
appear
above
will,
it is
hoped,
impress
the
reader
for
the
similarity
of
their
spirit
and
content.
Each
passage
apparently expresses
a
grumbling
protest
against
the
unhappy
life
of
the
serving-man.
Aside from
differences
in poetic detail, the twin excerpts might almost be thought to come
from
the
mouth
of one
and
the same
protagonist.
And
yet,
it is
sur-
prising
to
realize
that
each is
separated
from the
other
by
a
span
of
two
thousand
years;
the first is Bacchus's
speech
from
Aeschylus's
The
Frogs (c.
405
B.C.),1
while the second
is from
Leporello's part
in
da
Ponte's
libretto for Mozart's Don Giovanni
(1787)
.2
This
correspondence
in detail between
two
plays
so distant
from
each
other
in time
may
help
dramatize
the statement that the
servant
1
Lane
Cooper
(ed.),
Ten
Greek
Plays,
New
York,
1936,
p.
383.
2 Mozart, Don Giovanni, English version by Natalia MacFarren, Schirmer edition,
p.
8.
376
THE
COMIC
SERVANT
IN
MOZART'S
OPERAS
By
ABRAM
LOFT
i.
How
ridiculous and
strange;
What a
monstruous
proposition,
That I
should
condescend
to
change
My
dress,
my
name,
and
my
condition,
To
follow
Xanthias,
and
behave
Like a
mortal and
a
slave;
To be set
to watch
outside
While he
wallow'd in
his
pride,
Tumbling on a purple bed;
While
I
waited with
submission,
To receive
a
broken
head;
Or be kicked
upon
suspicion
Of
impertinence
and
peeping
At
the
joys
that
he was
reaping.
2.
Gaily
he
within is
sporting,
I must
keep
off all
intrusion,
For his
lordship
needs
seclusion;
I
myself
will
go
acourting,
I the
gentleman
will
play,
But with him
no more
I'll
stay.
T
HE
two
bits of dramatic verse that
appear
above
will,
it is
hoped,
impress
the
reader
for
the
similarity
of
their
spirit
and
content.
Each
passage
apparently expresses
a
grumbling
protest
against
the
unhappy
life
of
the
serving-man.
Aside from
differences
in poetic detail, the twin excerpts might almost be thought to come
from
the
mouth
of one
and
the same
protagonist.
And
yet,
it is
sur-
prising
to
realize
that
each is
separated
from the
other
by
a
span
of
two
thousand
years;
the first is Bacchus's
speech
from
Aeschylus's
The
Frogs (c.
405
B.C.),1
while the second
is from
Leporello's part
in
da
Ponte's
libretto for Mozart's Don Giovanni
(1787)
.2
This
correspondence
in detail between
two
plays
so distant
from
each
other
in time
may
help
dramatize
the statement that the
servant
1
Lane
Cooper
(ed.),
Ten
Greek
Plays,
New
York,
1936,
p.
383.
2 Mozart, Don Giovanni, English version by Natalia MacFarren, Schirmer edition,
p.
8.
376
THE
COMIC
SERVANT
IN
MOZART'S
OPERAS
By
ABRAM
LOFT
i.
How
ridiculous and
strange;
What a
monstruous
proposition,
That I
should
condescend
to
change
My
dress,
my
name,
and
my
condition,
To
follow
Xanthias,
and
behave
Like a
mortal and
a
slave;
To be set
to watch
outside
While he
wallow'd in
his
pride,
Tumbling on a purple bed;
While
I
waited with
submission,
To receive
a
broken
head;
Or be kicked
upon
suspicion
Of
impertinence
and
peeping
At
the
joys
that
he was
reaping.
2.
Gaily
he
within is
sporting,
I must
keep
off all
intrusion,
For his
lordship
needs
seclusion;
I
myself
will
go
acourting,
I the
gentleman
will
play,
But with him
no more
I'll
stay.
T
HE
two
bits of dramatic verse that
appear
above
will,
it is
hoped,
impress
the
reader
for
the
similarity
of
their
spirit
and
content.
Each
passage
apparently expresses
a
grumbling
protest
against
the
unhappy
life
of
the
serving-man.
Aside from
differences
in poetic detail, the twin excerpts might almost be thought to come
from
the
mouth
of one
and
the same
protagonist.
And
yet,
it is
sur-
prising
to
realize
that
each is
separated
from the
other
by
a
span
of
two
thousand
years;
the first is Bacchus's
speech
from
Aeschylus's
The
Frogs (c.
405
B.C.),1
while the second
is from
Leporello's part
in
da
Ponte's
libretto for Mozart's Don Giovanni
(1787)
.2
This
correspondence
in detail between
two
plays
so distant
from
each
other
in time
may
help
dramatize
the statement that the
servant
1
Lane
Cooper
(ed.),
Ten
Greek
Plays,
New
York,
1936,
p.
383.
2 Mozart, Don Giovanni, English version by Natalia MacFarren, Schirmer edition,
p.
8.
376
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http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp -
8/10/2019 The Comic Servant in Mozart's Operas, Abram Loft
3/15
The Comic
Servant in
Mozart's
Operas
he Comic
Servant in
Mozart's
Operas
he Comic
Servant in
Mozart's
Operas
-sometimes shown
as
the Fool or
Clown,
and
again
as
the
cunning
valet-has
always
been
prominent
among
the stock
figures
that make
up
the
stage
family.
It is
impossible
to
present
here
a
detailed
study
of
the Fool's
long
history.
Suffice
it
to
point
out
that,
springing
as
he does from
the
very
roots
of
human
thought and
culture,
the Fool
may
be
traced
on
his
journey
from
the ancient
fertility
rites
through
the
Dionysiac
revels of
ancient
Greece,
into
the
amphitheater
of
Greek
comedy,
on to
the
stage
of Roman
farce,
along
the roadsides
and
village
squares
of medieval
Europe,
into
the
Church,
the
courts
of
the
nobility,
and
the
lowly
tavern,
through
the
amateur
plays
of
the townsfolk
and
craft
guilds,
and
to
the more
polished perform-
ances of the 16th-century Italian commedia dell'arte and the English
theatrical
troupes.
At
the
beginning
of
the
17th
century,
the
Fool
represents,
as
always,
a
combination of
the most
diverse characteristics.
By
turns
suspicious
and
gullible,
cynical
and
blundering,
blustering
and
cow-
ering,
the
Fool
offers
a
synthesis
of
human
nature.
Although
he
may
no
longer
wear the
cap
and
bells
and
motley
of
the
jester,
the
stage
clown
of
the
17th
and
18th
centuries retains
the
prime
trait of
his
ancestor: to mimic
in
word and
deed
the
human
weakness of
his
fellow creatures.
The
comic
figure
in
Renaissance and
Baroque
drama
is no
longer
content
with mere
acrobatics and
buffoonery.
The
mocking
wisdom
and
cynicism
that
are
always
the
central
feature of
the comic
role
now take
on
ever-increasing
importance;
the
significance
of
that
role within
the dramatic
plot,
moreover,
shows a
comparable
growth.
Thus, Sganarelle,
the servant in
Moliere's Don
Juan,
ou,
Le
Festin
de
pierre
(1665),
contents
himself
with
muttered
criticisms of
his
master-"Don Juan, my master, the greatest scoundrel the earth has
ever
borne,
a
fiend,
a
dog,
a
devil,
a
Turk,
an
heretic.
..."
Little
more
than a
century
later,
however,
(1775)
Beaumarchais's
crafty
barber-servant,
Figaro,
is
himself
the
master of
the
dramatic
plot.
The
comic
figure,
in
short,
is
no
longer
a
subordinate
one
in the
18th-century
theater.
Despite
the
importance
of
the comic
role
in
the
stage
plot,
it is
true
that
the
social rank
of the
part
is almost
always
an
inferior
one.
There is
a
plausible explanation
for
the fact
that
the comic
figure
is often cast in the part of the servant. Among the age-old company
of comic
types,
the
servant is
the most
important
because it
is
he
who
bridges
the
gap
between the comic and
the serious.
Through
-sometimes shown
as
the Fool or
Clown,
and
again
as
the
cunning
valet-has
always
been
prominent
among
the stock
figures
that make
up
the
stage
family.
It is
impossible
to
present
here
a
detailed
study
of
the Fool's
long
history.
Suffice
it
to
point
out
that,
springing
as
he does from
the
very
roots
of
human
thought and
culture,
the Fool
may
be
traced
on
his
journey
from
the ancient
fertility
rites
through
the
Dionysiac
revels of
ancient
Greece,
into
the
amphitheater
of
Greek
comedy,
on to
the
stage
of Roman
farce,
along
the roadsides
and
village
squares
of medieval
Europe,
into
the
Church,
the
courts
of
the
nobility,
and
the
lowly
tavern,
through
the
amateur
plays
of
the townsfolk
and
craft
guilds,
and
to
the more
polished perform-
ances of the 16th-century Italian commedia dell'arte and the English
theatrical
troupes.
At
the
beginning
of
the
17th
century,
the
Fool
represents,
as
always,
a
combination of
the most
diverse characteristics.
By
turns
suspicious
and
gullible,
cynical
and
blundering,
blustering
and
cow-
ering,
the
Fool
offers
a
synthesis
of
human
nature.
Although
he
may
no
longer
wear the
cap
and
bells
and
motley
of
the
jester,
the
stage
clown
of
the
17th
and
18th
centuries retains
the
prime
trait of
his
ancestor: to mimic
in
word and
deed
the
human
weakness of
his
fellow creatures.
The
comic
figure
in
Renaissance and
Baroque
drama
is no
longer
content
with mere
acrobatics and
buffoonery.
The
mocking
wisdom
and
cynicism
that
are
always
the
central
feature of
the comic
role
now take
on
ever-increasing
importance;
the
significance
of
that
role within
the dramatic
plot,
moreover,
shows a
comparable
growth.
Thus, Sganarelle,
the servant in
Moliere's Don
Juan,
ou,
Le
Festin
de
pierre
(1665),
contents
himself
with
muttered
criticisms of
his
master-"Don Juan, my master, the greatest scoundrel the earth has
ever
borne,
a
fiend,
a
dog,
a
devil,
a
Turk,
an
heretic.
..."
Little
more
than a
century
later,
however,
(1775)
Beaumarchais's
crafty
barber-servant,
Figaro,
is
himself
the
master of
the
dramatic
plot.
The
comic
figure,
in
short,
is
no
longer
a
subordinate
one
in the
18th-century
theater.
Despite
the
importance
of
the comic
role
in
the
stage
plot,
it is
true
that
the
social rank
of the
part
is almost
always
an
inferior
one.
There is
a
plausible explanation
for
the fact
that
the comic
figure
is often cast in the part of the servant. Among the age-old company
of comic
types,
the
servant is
the most
important
because it
is
he
who
bridges
the
gap
between the comic and
the serious.
Through
-sometimes shown
as
the Fool or
Clown,
and
again
as
the
cunning
valet-has
always
been
prominent
among
the stock
figures
that make
up
the
stage
family.
It is
impossible
to
present
here
a
detailed
study
of
the Fool's
long
history.
Suffice
it
to
point
out
that,
springing
as
he does from
the
very
roots
of
human
thought and
culture,
the Fool
may
be
traced
on
his
journey
from
the ancient
fertility
rites
through
the
Dionysiac
revels of
ancient
Greece,
into
the
amphitheater
of
Greek
comedy,
on to
the
stage
of Roman
farce,
along
the roadsides
and
village
squares
of medieval
Europe,
into
the
Church,
the
courts
of
the
nobility,
and
the
lowly
tavern,
through
the
amateur
plays
of
the townsfolk
and
craft
guilds,
and
to
the more
polished perform-
ances of the 16th-century Italian commedia dell'arte and the English
theatrical
troupes.
At
the
beginning
of
the
17th
century,
the
Fool
represents,
as
always,
a
combination of
the most
diverse characteristics.
By
turns
suspicious
and
gullible,
cynical
and
blundering,
blustering
and
cow-
ering,
the
Fool
offers
a
synthesis
of
human
nature.
Although
he
may
no
longer
wear the
cap
and
bells
and
motley
of
the
jester,
the
stage
clown
of
the
17th
and
18th
centuries retains
the
prime
trait of
his
ancestor: to mimic
in
word and
deed
the
human
weakness of
his
fellow creatures.
The
comic
figure
in
Renaissance and
Baroque
drama
is no
longer
content
with mere
acrobatics and
buffoonery.
The
mocking
wisdom
and
cynicism
that
are
always
the
central
feature of
the comic
role
now take
on
ever-increasing
importance;
the
significance
of
that
role within
the dramatic
plot,
moreover,
shows a
comparable
growth.
Thus, Sganarelle,
the servant in
Moliere's Don
Juan,
ou,
Le
Festin
de
pierre
(1665),
contents
himself
with
muttered
criticisms of
his
master-"Don Juan, my master, the greatest scoundrel the earth has
ever
borne,
a
fiend,
a
dog,
a
devil,
a
Turk,
an
heretic.
..."
Little
more
than a
century
later,
however,
(1775)
Beaumarchais's
crafty
barber-servant,
Figaro,
is
himself
the
master of
the
dramatic
plot.
The
comic
figure,
in
short,
is
no
longer
a
subordinate
one
in the
18th-century
theater.
Despite
the
importance
of
the comic
role
in
the
stage
plot,
it is
true
that
the
social rank
of the
part
is almost
always
an
inferior
one.
There is
a
plausible explanation
for
the fact
that
the comic
figure
is often cast in the part of the servant. Among the age-old company
of comic
types,
the
servant is
the most
important
because it
is
he
who
bridges
the
gap
between the comic and
the serious.
Through
3777777
This content downloaded from 163.1.255.60 on Mon, 24 Nov 2014 15:48:02 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp -
8/10/2019 The Comic Servant in Mozart's Operas, Abram Loft
4/15
The Musical
Quarterly
he Musical
Quarterly
he Musical
Quarterly
his
satirical comment
he establishes the
relationship
between the
obvious
buffoonery
of
the
comedians
and
the more
subtle
absurdity
often concealed in
the actions of the serious characters.
In
the role
of
servant,
the
comic
figure
has
ample opportunity
to observe
and
react
to the
doings
of
his
masters.
Furthermore,
as
a servant he
en-
joys
the
function of
message-carrier
and
general
intermediary
in the
activities
of
the
plot.
This
capacity places
him
in
a
position
to con-
trol the course
of events
in
the
drama.
As a
prominent
figure
in
both the
comic and
serious
groups
of
the dramatic
cast,
therefore,
the comic
servant can
fulfill the
vital
purpose
of
fusing
the
comic action
with the
serious.
By
making
pos-
sible this blending of contrasting elements, the comic servant helps
establish
the
plausibility
of the
drama,
a
plausibility
that
must be
present
as
the
starting
point
of
any
effective
piece
of
dramatic art.
Because
of
his
importance
in the
cast of
characters,
the comic
servant
provides
an
excellent
medium
for
studying
the
problems
of
opera.
The
combination
of music
with drama
presents
serious
diffi-
culties
which
have
accompanied opera
throughout
its
history.
While
it is
desirable
to
make
full
use
of the
capabilities
of each
art,
com-
plete
fulfillment of
the
structural
demands both
of
music
and
of the
drama
soon
leads to
a deadlock
between the two.
Composer
and
playwright
must,
therefore,
seek
a
compromise;
the work
of one
must
supplement
and enrich that
of
the other.
Only
when
this aim
is
attained
can the
combination
of the two
arts be
justified.
Drama,
in the
last
analysis,
deals with
relationships
between
hu-
man
beings.
Since
these
reactions
first
take
place
through
the
medium
of
concrete,
tangible things
and
movements,
they
can best
be
expressed
by
the
visible
action
and
spoken
word
of
the
stage.
Music can, on the other hand, give life to abstract ideas that defy
the
medium of
speech.
By
cutting
through
the
surface
details
of
reality,
music
can
quickly
reveal
the
hidden
depths
of
a
personality,
thereby
helping
to
explain
the
reactions of
the various
stage
char-
acters.
In
this
way,
music
takes on
an
independent
function without
encroaching
upon
the
territory
peculiar
to
the
spoken
drama.
With these
points
in
mind,
it
should
prove
worthwhile
to
ex-
amine
a
particular
type
of
dramatic
role
(it
is obvious
that we
intend
to
use the
servant
for
this
purpose)
and
to
observe its
treatment in
the most consummate works for the lyric stage: the operas of Mozart.
It
is
interesting
to note
that
the
comic
servant does not
play
an im-
portant
part
in
this
composer's
early
dramatic
works. Before
his
ap-
his
satirical comment
he establishes the
relationship
between the
obvious
buffoonery
of
the
comedians
and
the more
subtle
absurdity
often concealed in
the actions of the serious characters.
In
the role
of
servant,
the
comic
figure
has
ample opportunity
to observe
and
react
to the
doings
of
his
masters.
Furthermore,
as
a servant he
en-
joys
the
function of
message-carrier
and
general
intermediary
in the
activities
of
the
plot.
This
capacity places
him
in
a
position
to con-
trol the course
of events
in
the
drama.
As a
prominent
figure
in
both the
comic and
serious
groups
of
the dramatic
cast,
therefore,
the comic
servant can
fulfill the
vital
purpose
of
fusing
the
comic action
with the
serious.
By
making
pos-
sible this blending of contrasting elements, the comic servant helps
establish
the
plausibility
of the
drama,
a
plausibility
that
must be
present
as
the
starting
point
of
any
effective
piece
of
dramatic art.
Because
of
his
importance
in the
cast of
characters,
the comic
servant
provides
an
excellent
medium
for
studying
the
problems
of
opera.
The
combination
of music
with drama
presents
serious
diffi-
culties
which
have
accompanied opera
throughout
its
history.
While
it is
desirable
to
make
full
use
of the
capabilities
of each
art,
com-
plete
fulfillment of
the
structural
demands both
of
music
and
of the
drama
soon
leads to
a deadlock
between the two.
Composer
and
playwright
must,
therefore,
seek
a
compromise;
the work
of one
must
supplement
and enrich that
of
the other.
Only
when
this aim
is
attained
can the
combination
of the two
arts be
justified.
Drama,
in the
last
analysis,
deals with
relationships
between
hu-
man
beings.
Since
these
reactions
first
take
place
through
the
medium
of
concrete,
tangible things
and
movements,
they
can best
be
expressed
by
the
visible
action
and
spoken
word
of
the
stage.
Music can, on the other hand, give life to abstract ideas that defy
the
medium of
speech.
By
cutting
through
the
surface
details
of
reality,
music
can
quickly
reveal
the
hidden
depths
of
a
personality,
thereby
helping
to
explain
the
reactions of
the various
stage
char-
acters.
In
this
way,
music
takes on
an
independent
function without
encroaching
upon
the
territory
peculiar
to
the
spoken
drama.
With these
points
in
mind,
it
should
prove
worthwhile
to
ex-
amine
a
particular
type
of
dramatic
role
(it
is obvious
that we
intend
to
use the
servant
for
this
purpose)
and
to
observe its
treatment in
the most consummate works for the lyric stage: the operas of Mozart.
It
is
interesting
to note
that
the
comic
servant does not
play
an im-
portant
part
in
this
composer's
early
dramatic
works. Before
his
ap-
his
satirical comment
he establishes the
relationship
between the
obvious
buffoonery
of
the
comedians
and
the more
subtle
absurdity
often concealed in
the actions of the serious characters.
In
the role
of
servant,
the
comic
figure
has
ample opportunity
to observe
and
react
to the
doings
of
his
masters.
Furthermore,
as
a servant he
en-
joys
the
function of
message-carrier
and
general
intermediary
in the
activities
of
the
plot.
This
capacity places
him
in
a
position
to con-
trol the course
of events
in
the
drama.
As a
prominent
figure
in
both the
comic and
serious
groups
of
the dramatic
cast,
therefore,
the comic
servant can
fulfill the
vital
purpose
of
fusing
the
comic action
with the
serious.
By
making
pos-
sible this blending of contrasting elements, the comic servant helps
establish
the
plausibility
of the
drama,
a
plausibility
that
must be
present
as
the
starting
point
of
any
effective
piece
of
dramatic art.
Because
of
his
importance
in the
cast of
characters,
the comic
servant
provides
an
excellent
medium
for
studying
the
problems
of
opera.
The
combination
of music
with drama
presents
serious
diffi-
culties
which
have
accompanied opera
throughout
its
history.
While
it is
desirable
to
make
full
use
of the
capabilities
of each
art,
com-
plete
fulfillment of
the
structural
demands both
of
music
and
of the
drama
soon
leads to
a deadlock
between the two.
Composer
and
playwright
must,
therefore,
seek
a
compromise;
the work
of one
must
supplement
and enrich that
of
the other.
Only
when
this aim
is
attained
can the
combination
of the two
arts be
justified.
Drama,
in the
last
analysis,
deals with
relationships
between
hu-
man
beings.
Since
these
reactions
first
take
place
through
the
medium
of
concrete,
tangible things
and
movements,
they
can best
be
expressed
by
the
visible
action
and
spoken
word
of
the
stage.
Music can, on the other hand, give life to abstract ideas that defy
the
medium of
speech.
By
cutting
through
the
surface
details
of
reality,
music
can
quickly
reveal
the
hidden
depths
of
a
personality,
thereby
helping
to
explain
the
reactions of
the various
stage
char-
acters.
In
this
way,
music
takes on
an
independent
function without
encroaching
upon
the
territory
peculiar
to
the
spoken
drama.
With these
points
in
mind,
it
should
prove
worthwhile
to
ex-
amine
a
particular
type
of
dramatic
role
(it
is obvious
that we
intend
to
use the
servant
for
this
purpose)
and
to
observe its
treatment in
the most consummate works for the lyric stage: the operas of Mozart.
It
is
interesting
to note
that
the
comic
servant does not
play
an im-
portant
part
in
this
composer's
early
dramatic
works. Before
his
ap-
3787878
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http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp -
8/10/2019 The Comic Servant in Mozart's Operas, Abram Loft
5/15
The
Comic
Servant in
Mozart's
Operas
he
Comic
Servant in
Mozart's
Operas
he
Comic
Servant in
Mozart's
Operas
pearance
in
Die
Entfiihrung
aus dem
Serail
(composed
in
1781-82),
he
figures
in
only
two
works,
La
finta
semplice
(1768)
and La
finta
giardiniera (1774-75).
In
the
first
of
these
two,
the
servant, Simone,
is of
minor
importance;
he
emerges
only
occasionally,
as
when-in
the
Finale
of
Act
I-he
breathlessly
makes
an
announcement that
throws
all
the
members of
the
cast
into
the
excited
flurry
that
cus-
tomarily
brings
down
the
curtain
in
opera'
buffa.
Nardo,
the servant
in La
finta
giardiniera,
is
lost
in
the mazes of a
plot
so
complicated
that
Otto
Jahn
requires
two
pages
of
fine
print
to
summarize it.3
Aside
from
his
individualization in
the
introduction
of
the
opera,
Nardo
asserts
himself
only
momentarily,
as
in
the
aria,
Con un
vezzo all'italiana. Here Nardo parodies French, English, and Italian
vocal
style
in
the art
of
serenading;
unfortunately,
the
piece
is
little
more than a
pantomimic
vehicle for
Nardo
and
actually
interferes
with
the flow
of the action.
Unlike the
Giardiniera,
Die
Entfiihrung (the
first of
the
stage-
works
Mozart
produced
after
he
settled in
Vienna),
has
the
advan-
tage
of a
concise
plot
that
deals
with
a
limited
number of
char-
acters.
Belmont and
Pedrillo
are
trying
to
rescue
Constanze
and
Blonde
from the
clutches
of the Bassa
Selim
and Osmin.
Pedrillo is
the ideal servant in
that
he-rather than
his
master,
Belmont-plans
the details of the
conspiracy.
Curiously
enough,
however,
Pedrillo
is not as
distinct an
individual,
from
the
musical
point
of
view,
as
Osmin. This is
remarkable
in
view of
the fact
that
Osmin,
as
the
villain
of
the
play,
actually
serves as a
dramatic foil
to
the
scheming
Pedrillo.
Osmin,
however,
is
simpler
to
represent,
for
he has
only
one
dominating
characteristic,
that
of
the
petulant
bully.
To
hear
his
aria,
Solche
hergelauf'ne
Laffen,
with its
irritable
insistence on
one note, its ferocious grumbling
r
n--r
Pf
ptZ ms l
Sol-che
ihe.-
e-Iufne
Laf
-
-
fen
Suk
a
mot-
eycroudof
ma
-
_.
her.
-b I
V
r
i
die
nur nch
en ei-bern
gaf
-
-
fen
who
do
noght
but
chase
the
wo
- -
men
or the venomous threats of his Erst
gekopft,
dann
gehangen,
sung
to the
persistent,
whining
accompaniment
of
oboe and
bassoon,
is
3
Otto
Jahn,
W.
A.
Mozart,
translated
by
P.
Townsend,
London,
1882, I,
210-12.
pearance
in
Die
Entfiihrung
aus dem
Serail
(composed
in
1781-82),
he
figures
in
only
two
works,
La
finta
semplice
(1768)
and La
finta
giardiniera (1774-75).
In
the
first
of
these
two,
the
servant, Simone,
is of
minor
importance;
he
emerges
only
occasionally,
as
when-in
the
Finale
of
Act
I-he
breathlessly
makes
an
announcement that
throws
all
the
members of
the
cast
into
the
excited
flurry
that
cus-
tomarily
brings
down
the
curtain
in
opera'
buffa.
Nardo,
the servant
in La
finta
giardiniera,
is
lost
in
the mazes of a
plot
so
complicated
that
Otto
Jahn
requires
two
pages
of
fine
print
to
summarize it.3
Aside
from
his
individualization in
the
introduction
of
the
opera,
Nardo
asserts
himself
only
momentarily,
as
in
the
aria,
Con un
vezzo all'italiana. Here Nardo parodies French, English, and Italian
vocal
style
in
the art
of
serenading;
unfortunately,
the
piece
is
little
more than a
pantomimic
vehicle for
Nardo
and
actually
interferes
with
the flow
of the action.
Unlike the
Giardiniera,
Die
Entfiihrung (the
first of
the
stage-
works
Mozart
produced
after
he
settled in
Vienna),
has
the
advan-
tage
of a
concise
plot
that
deals
with
a
limited
number of
char-
acters.
Belmont and
Pedrillo
are
trying
to
rescue
Constanze
and
Blonde
from the
clutches
of the Bassa
Selim
and Osmin.
Pedrillo is
the ideal servant in
that
he-rather than
his
master,
Belmont-plans
the details of the
conspiracy.
Curiously
enough,
however,
Pedrillo
is not as
distinct an
individual,
from
the
musical
point
of
view,
as
Osmin. This is
remarkable
in
view of
the fact
that
Osmin,
as
the
villain
of
the
play,
actually
serves as a
dramatic foil
to
the
scheming
Pedrillo.
Osmin,
however,
is
simpler
to
represent,
for
he has
only
one
dominating
characteristic,
that
of
the
petulant
bully.
To
hear
his
aria,
Solche
hergelauf'ne
Laffen,
with its
irritable
insistence on
one note, its ferocious grumbling
r
n--r
Pf
ptZ ms l
Sol-che
ihe.-
e-Iufne
Laf
-
-
fen
Suk
a
mot-
eycroudof
ma
-
_.
her.
-b I
V
r
i
die
nur nch
en ei-bern
gaf
-
-
fen
who
do
noght
but
chase
the
wo
- -
men
or the venomous threats of his Erst
gekopft,
dann
gehangen,
sung
to the
persistent,
whining
accompaniment
of
oboe and
bassoon,
is
3
Otto
Jahn,
W.
A.
Mozart,
translated
by
P.
Townsend,
London,
1882, I,
210-12.
pearance
in
Die
Entfiihrung
aus dem
Serail
(composed
in
1781-82),
he
figures
in
only
two
works,
La
finta
semplice
(1768)
and La
finta
giardiniera (1774-75).
In
the
first
of
these
two,
the
servant, Simone,
is of
minor
importance;
he
emerges
only
occasionally,
as
when-in
the
Finale
of
Act
I-he
breathlessly
makes
an
announcement that
throws
all
the
members of
the
cast
into
the
excited
flurry
that
cus-
tomarily
brings
down
the
curtain
in
opera'
buffa.
Nardo,
the servant
in La
finta
giardiniera,
is
lost
in
the mazes of a
plot
so
complicated
that
Otto
Jahn
requires
two
pages
of
fine
print
to
summarize it.3
Aside
from
his
individualization in
the
introduction
of
the
opera,
Nardo
asserts
himself
only
momentarily,
as
in
the
aria,
Con un
vezzo all'italiana. Here Nardo parodies French, English, and Italian
vocal
style
in
the art
of
serenading;
unfortunately,
the
piece
is
little
more than a
pantomimic
vehicle for
Nardo
and
actually
interferes
with
the flow
of the action.
Unlike the
Giardiniera,
Die
Entfiihrung (the
first of
the
stage-
works
Mozart
produced
after
he
settled in
Vienna),
has
the
advan-
tage
of a
concise
plot
that
deals
with
a
limited
number of
char-
acters.
Belmont and
Pedrillo
are
trying
to
rescue
Constanze
and
Blonde
from the
clutches
of the Bassa
Selim
and Osmin.
Pedrillo is
the ideal servant in
that
he-rather than
his
master,
Belmont-plans
the details of the
conspiracy.
Curiously
enough,
however,
Pedrillo
is not as
distinct an
individual,
from
the
musical
point
of
view,
as
Osmin. This is
remarkable
in
view of
the fact
that
Osmin,
as
the
villain
of
the
play,
actually
serves as a
dramatic foil
to
the
scheming
Pedrillo.
Osmin,
however,
is
simpler
to
represent,
for
he has
only
one
dominating
characteristic,
that
of
the
petulant
bully.
To
hear
his
aria,
Solche
hergelauf'ne
Laffen,
with its
irritable
insistence on
one note, its ferocious grumbling
r
n--r
Pf
ptZ ms l
Sol-che
ihe.-
e-Iufne
Laf
-
-
fen
Suk
a
mot-
eycroudof
ma
-
_.
her.
-b I
V
r
i
die
nur nch
en ei-bern
gaf
-
-
fen
who
do
noght
but
chase
the
wo
- -
men
or the venomous threats of his Erst
gekopft,
dann
gehangen,
sung
to the
persistent,
whining
accompaniment
of
oboe and
bassoon,
is
3
Otto
Jahn,
W.
A.
Mozart,
translated
by
P.
Townsend,
London,
1882, I,
210-12.
3797979
This content downloaded from 163.1.255.60 on Mon, 24 Nov 2014 15:48:02 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp -
8/10/2019 The Comic Servant in Mozart's Operas, Abram Loft
6/15
The Musical
Quarterly
he Musical
Quarterly
he Musical
Quarterly
to
realize
the
personality
of
the hard-hearted old
rascal.
He
could
never unbend
to
the
extent
of
singing
so
dreamy
a
serenade
as
Pedrillo's
romanza,
Im
Mohrenland
gefangen.
8
ImMohren~ and
fangen
war
.in
Ma-del
hbc.uncd
fir-
In MooriSl
landtihcaptive
y,_
a
maiden
pure
and fine
Six
complete
works for the
lyric stage
were
written
by
Mozart
during
the
years
after
Die
Entfiihrung.
They
are
Der
Schauspiel-
direktor
(1786),
Le
Nozze
di
Figaro
(1786),
Don Giovanni
(1787),
Cosi
fan
Tutte
(1790),
Die
Zauberfi
te
(1791),
and La Clemenza
di
Tito (1791). Of these six, the first can be omitted from the present
discussion;
its
only
comic
character,
Buff
by
name,
is so
unimportant
that he
is
merely
allowed to
explain
the
meaning of
his
title:
"Nur
um ein
O
brauch ich den
Namen
zu
verlangern,
so
heiss'
ich ohne
Streit,
Buffo."
Likewise,
there
is no
place
in
this
study
for
La
Clemenza di
Tito;
the
whole-hearted
concentration
on
the
imperial
mercy
of Titus leaves
no
possible
niche
for
a comic
servant,
to
say
nothing
of
the
horror Metastasio
would have felt
at the
thought
of
introducing
so
raucous
an
element
into his
prim
libretto.
In Cosi
fan
Tutte,
on the
contrary,
a
very important part
is that
of the
maid-servant,
Despina.
True
enough,
it is the
old
codger,
Don
Alfonso,
who
contrives
the
idea of testing
the
faithfulness
of Fiordi-
ligi
and
Dorabella.
It is
Alfonso,
too,
who
skilfully
guides
the
plot
towards
its climax
and who
finally
pronounces
the
triumphant
moral
of
the drama
". . .
giovani,
vecchie,
e
belle,
e
brutte,
ripetete
con me:
cosi
fan tutte "
Nevertheless,
Despina
serves
as the
able
assistant
of
Don
Alfonso
in
carrying
out the
intrigue.
Without
her
cooperation as the intermediary between the plotters and their vic-
tims,
the
complex
entanglements
of the
plot
could never come
to
pass.
Important
also
for
the
analytic
comments
that she delivers
on
the
actions
of the
other
characters,
Despina
takes rank next
to
the
greatest
comic
servant
of
all
operatic
history,
Mozart's
Figaro.
Note
that
Despina
has
an
aria,
In
uomini,
in
soldati,
which
corresponds
in its
subject
matter
(an
exposition
of
the
old theme
that
all is
fair
in love
and
war)
to
Figaro's
celebrated
song
on
the fickleness
of
womankind,
Aprite
un
po'
quegl'occhi.
Despina's
clear-sighted
understanding
of the truths
of life
repre-
sents
an essential
characteristic
of the comic servant
in
Mozart's
to
realize
the
personality
of
the hard-hearted old
rascal.
He
could
never unbend
to
the
extent
of
singing
so
dreamy
a
serenade
as
Pedrillo's
romanza,
Im
Mohrenland
gefangen.
8
ImMohren~ and
fangen
war
.in
Ma-del
hbc.uncd
fir-
In MooriSl
landtihcaptive
y,_
a
maiden
pure
and fine
Six
complete
works for the
lyric stage
were
written
by
Mozart
during
the
years
after
Die
Entfiihrung.
They
are
Der
Schauspiel-
direktor
(1786),
Le
Nozze
di
Figaro
(1786),
Don Giovanni
(1787),
Cosi
fan
Tutte
(1790),
Die
Zauberfi
te
(1791),
and La Clemenza
di
Tito (1791). Of these six, the first can be omitted from the present
discussion;
its
only
comic
character,
Buff
by
name,
is so
unimportant
that he
is
merely
allowed to
explain
the
meaning of
his
title:
"Nur
um ein
O
brauch ich den
Namen
zu
verlangern,
so
heiss'
ich ohne
Streit,
Buffo."
Likewise,
there
is no
place
in
this
study
for
La
Clemenza di
Tito;
the
whole-hearted
concentration
on
the
imperial
mercy
of Titus leaves
no
possible
niche
for
a comic
servant,
to
say
nothing
of
the
horror Metastasio
would have felt
at the
thought
of
introducing
so
raucous
an
element
into his
prim
libretto.
In Cosi
fan
Tutte,
on the
contrary,
a
very important part
is that
of the
maid-servant,
Despina.
True
enough,
it is the
old
codger,
Don
Alfonso,
who
contrives
the
idea of testing
the
faithfulness
of Fiordi-
ligi
and
Dorabella.
It is
Alfonso,
too,
who
skilfully
guides
the
plot
towards
its climax
and who
finally
pronounces
the
triumphant
moral
of
the drama
". . .
giovani,
vecchie,
e
belle,
e
brutte,
ripetete
con me:
cosi
fan tutte "
Nevertheless,
Despina
serves
as the
able
assistant
of
Don
Alfonso
in
carrying
out the
intrigue.
Without
her
cooperation as the intermediary between the plotters and their vic-
tims,
the
complex
entanglements
of the
plot
could never come
to
pass.
Important
also
for
the
analytic
comments
that she delivers
on
the
actions
of the
other
characters,
Despina
takes rank next
to
the
greatest
comic
servant
of
all
operatic
history,
Mozart's
Figaro.
Note
that
Despina
has
an
aria,
In
uomini,
in
soldati,
which
corresponds
in its
subject
matter
(an
exposition
of
the
old theme
that
all is
fair
in love
and
war)
to
Figaro's
celebrated
song
on
the fickleness
of
womankind,
Aprite
un
po'
quegl'occhi.
Despina's
clear-sighted
understanding
of the truths
of life
repre-
sents
an essential
characteristic
of the comic servant
in
Mozart's
to
realize
the
personality
of
the hard-hearted old
rascal.
He
could
never unbend
to
the
extent
of
singing
so
dreamy
a
serenade
as
Pedrillo's
romanza,
Im
Mohrenland
gefangen.
8
ImMohren~ and
fangen
war
.in
Ma-del
hbc.uncd
fir-
In MooriSl
landtihcaptive
y,_
a
maiden
pure
and fine
Six
complete
works for the
lyric stage
were
written
by
Mozart
during
the
years
after
Die
Entfiihrung.
They
are
Der
Schauspiel-
direktor
(1786),
Le
Nozze
di
Figaro
(1786),
Don Giovanni
(1787),
Cosi
fan
Tutte
(1790),
Die
Zauberfi
te
(1791),
and La Clemenza
di
Tito (1791). Of these six, the first can be omitted from the present
discussion;
its
only
comic
character,
Buff
by
name,
is so
unimportant
that he
is
merely
allowed to
explain
the
meaning of
his
title:
"Nur
um ein
O
brauch ich den
Namen
zu
verlangern,
so
heiss'
ich ohne
Streit,
Buffo."
Likewise,
there
is no
place
in
this
study
for
La
Clemenza di
Tito;
the
whole-hearted
concentration
on
the
imperial
mercy
of Titus leaves
no
possible
niche
for
a comic
servant,
to
say
nothing
of
the
horror Metastasio
would have felt
at the
thought
of
introducing
so
raucous
an
element
into his
prim
libretto.
In Cosi
fan
Tutte,
on the
contrary,
a
very important part
is that
of the
maid-servant,
Despina.
True
enough,
it is the
old
codger,
Don
Alfonso,
who
contrives
the
idea of testing
the
faithfulness
of Fiordi-
ligi
and
Dorabella.
It is
Alfonso,
too,
who
skilfully
guides
the
plot
towards
its climax
and who
finally
pronounces
the
triumphant
moral
of
the drama
". . .
giovani,
vecchie,
e
belle,
e
brutte,
ripetete
con me:
cosi
fan tutte "
Nevertheless,
Despina
serves
as the
able
assistant
of
Don
Alfonso
in
carrying
out the
intrigue.
Without
her
cooperation as the intermediary between the plotters and their vic-
tims,
the
complex
entanglements
of the
plot
could never come
to
pass.
Important
also
for
the
analytic
comments
that she delivers
on
the
actions
of the
other
characters,
Despina
takes rank next
to
the
greatest
comic
servant
of
all
operatic
history,
Mozart's
Figaro.
Note
that
Despina
has
an
aria,
In
uomini,
in
soldati,
which
corresponds
in its
subject
matter
(an
exposition
of
the
old theme
that
all is
fair
in love
and
war)
to
Figaro's
celebrated
song
on
the fickleness
of
womankind,
Aprite
un
po'
quegl'occhi.
Despina's
clear-sighted
understanding
of the truths
of life
repre-
sents
an essential
characteristic
of the comic servant
in
Mozart's
3808080
This content downloaded from 163.1.255.60 on Mon, 24 Nov 2014 15:48:02 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp -
8/10/2019 The Comic Servant in Mozart's Operas, Abram Loft
7/15
The Comic
Servant
in Mozart's
Operas
he Comic
Servant
in Mozart's
Operas
he Comic
Servant
in Mozart's
Operas
operas.
In Die
Zauberfl6te,
Papageno
is the
personification
of
the
basic desires and
needs of
mankind.
Beset
by
the
perils
of
daily
life,
he tries
always
to
escape
in
the easiest
and
quickest
manner
from
the
difficulties
that
confront
him. He
is,
indeed,
driven
to
attempt
suicide
in
his
effort to
escape,
but
on
the
very
brink
of destruction
his
common
sense
restrains him. It is this sense of
moderation,
of
proportion
in
the
values of
life,
that
distinguishes
Papageno
from
the
rest of the cast
in
Die
Zauberflote.
Scornful
of the
intellectual
and
sometimes
pompous
actions
of his
superiors, Papageno
devotes
himself to
a
slow but
steady
pursuit
of the
material
comforts for
which
he
yearns.
The
plot
of this
opera
is so
designed
that
Papageno
is subjected to the same experiences that befall his master, Prince
Tamino.
The dramatic
situations
in
themselves are
subordinate
to
the reactions of
the various characters who are
caught
up
in the
dilemma.
It
must be
remembered
that
Die
Zauberflote
is fashioned
on
the
lines
of
the
fairy-tale
dramas
so
popular
in
8th-century
Austria.
There
is
never
any
doubt as to
the
final
triumph
of
Right
over
Evil. The
good
Sarastro and his
minions are
predestined
to
conquer
the
wicked
Queen
of the
Night
and
her
henchman,
Monostatos. The extremes
represented
by
Sarastro and the Queen are reflected on a human
plane
by
Tamino and
the Princess
Pamina on the
one
hand,
and
Monostatos
on
the other.
And
yet,
these
last
are
still
representations
of
abstract
qualities
rather
than of
flesh-and-blood
people.
It remains
for
Papageno
to
relieve
the
idealized
plot
by
contrast with his own
earthy
nature.
Papageno's
first
song,
Der
Vogelfdnger
bin
ich
ja,
with
its
straightforward
harmonies,
its
obstinately
uniform
phrase-length,
and
its
sturdy, duple rhythms (reminiscent
of some wooden-shoe
dance),
emphasizes
the
forthright
simplicity
of
the
character.
Again
in
the
trio
(No.
6,
Act
I),
Papageno
is
introduced
by
a
sing-song
melody
that
reflects
the
folk
nature
of
the
bird-catcher.
In
the finale
to the first
act,
Papageno
steps
out
of character
(musically
speaking)
to
become
a
part
of
the
vocal ensemble.
In
his duet
passages
with
Pamina,
his
line
parallels
her
melody;
only
momentarily
does
he
give
vent to
personal
feeling,
and then
it is an
expression
of
an
appropriate
emotion,
namely,
fear:
operas.
In Die
Zauberfl6te,
Papageno
is the
personification
of
the
basic desires and
needs of
mankind.
Beset
by
the
perils
of
daily
life,
he tries
always
to
escape
in
the easiest
and
quickest
manner
from
the
difficulties
that
confront
him. He
is,
indeed,
driven
to
attempt
suicide
in
his
effort to
escape,
but
on
the
very
brink
of destruction
his
common
sense
restrains him. It is this sense of
moderation,
of
proportion
in
the
values of
life,
that
distinguishes
Papageno
from
the
rest of the cast
in
Die
Zauberflote.
Scornful
of the
intellectual
and
sometimes
pompous
actions
of his
superiors, Papageno
devotes
himself to
a
slow but
steady
pursuit
of the
material
comforts for
which
he
yearns.
The
plot
of this
opera
is so
designed
that
Papageno
is subjected to the same experiences that befall his master, Prince
Tamino.
The dramatic
situations
in
themselves are
subordinate
to
the reactions of
the various characters who are
caught
up
in the
dilemma.
It
must be
remembered
that
Die
Zauberflote
is fashioned
on
the
lines
of
the
fairy-tale
dramas
so
popular
in
8th-century
Austria.
There
is
never
any
doubt as to
the
final
triumph
of
Right
over
Evil. The
good
Sarastro and his
minions are
predestined
to
conquer
the
wicked
Queen
of the
Night
and
her
henchman,
Monostatos. The extremes
represented
by
Sarastro and the Queen are reflected on a human
plane
by
Tamino and
the Princess
Pamina on the
one
hand,
and
Monostatos
on
the other.
And
yet,
these
last
are
still
representations
of
abstract
qualities
rather
than of
flesh-and-blood
people.
It remains
for
Papageno
to
relieve
the
idealized
plot
by
contrast with his own
earthy
nature.
Papageno's
first
song,
Der
Vogelfdnger
bin
ich
ja,
with
its
straightforward
harmonies,
its
obstinately
uniform
phrase-length,
and
its
sturdy, duple rhythms (reminiscent
of some wooden-shoe
dance),
emphasizes
the
forthright
simplicity
of
the
character.
Again
in
the
trio
(No.
6,
Act
I),
Papageno
is
introduced
by
a
sing-song
melody
that
reflects
the
folk
nature
of
the
bird-catcher.
In
the finale
to the first
act,
Papageno
steps
out
of character
(musically
speaking)
to
become
a
part
of
the
vocal ensemble.
In
his duet
passages
with
Pamina,
his
line
parallels
her
melody;
only
momentarily
does
he
give
vent to
personal
feeling,
and then
it is an
expression
of
an
appropriate
emotion,
namely,
fear:
operas.
In Die
Zauberfl6te,
Papageno
is the
personification
of
the
basic desires and
needs of
mankind.
Beset
by
the
perils
of
daily
life,
he tries
always
to
escape
in
the easiest
and
quickest
manner
from
the
difficulties
that
confront
him. He
is,
indeed,
driven
to
attempt
suicide
in
his
effort to
escape,
but
on
the
very
brink
of destruction
his
common
sense
restrains him. It is this sense of
moderation,
of
proportion
in
the
values of
life,
that
distinguishes
Papageno
from
the
rest of the cast
in
Die
Zauberflote.
Scornful
of the
intellectual
and
sometimes
pompous
actions
of his
superiors, Papageno
devotes
himself to
a
slow but
steady
pursuit
of the
material
comforts for
which
he
yearns.
The
plot
of this
opera
is so
designed
that
Papageno
is subjected to the same experiences that befall his master, Prince
Tamino.
The dramatic
situations
in
themselves are
subordinate
to
the reactions of
the various characters who are
caught
up
in the
dilemma.
It
must be
remembered
that
Die
Zauberflote
is fashioned
on
the
lines
of
the
fairy-tale
dramas
so
popular
in
8th-century
Austria.
There
is
never
any
doubt as to
the
final
triumph
of
Right
over
Evil. The
good
Sarastro and his
minions are
predestined
to
conquer
the
wicked
Queen
of the
Night
and
her
henchman,
Monostatos. The extremes
represented
by
Sarastro and the Queen are reflected on a human
plane
by
Tamino and
the Princess
Pamina on the
one
hand,
and
Monostatos
on
the other.
And
yet,
these
last
are
still
representations
of
abstract
qualities
rather
than of
flesh-and-blood
people.
It remains
for
Papageno
to
relieve
the
idealized
plot
by
contrast with his own
earthy
nature.
Papageno's
first
song,
Der
Vogelfdnger
bin
ich
ja,
with
its
straightforward
harmonies,
its
obstinately
uniform
phrase-length,
and
its
sturdy, duple rhythms (reminiscent
of some wooden-shoe
dance),
emphasizes
the
forthright
simplicity
of
the
character.
Again
in
the
trio
(No.
6,
Act
I),
Papageno
is
introduced
by
a
sing-song
melody
that
reflects
the
folk
nature
of
the
bird-catcher.
In
the finale
to the first
act,
Papageno
steps
out
of character
(musically
speaking)
to
become
a
part
of
the
vocal ensemble.
In
his duet
passages
with
Pamina,
his
line
parallels
her
melody;
only
momentarily
does
he
give
vent to
personal
feeling,
and then
it is an
expression
of
an
appropriate
emotion,
namely,
fear:
0
war
idieine
Maus,
wie
wllic'i verAecren
Ohl
if
I weremouse
how
I
irunanhide
me
0
war
idieine
Maus,
wie
wllic'i verAecren
Ohl
if
I weremouse
how
I
irunanhide
me
0
war
idieine
Maus,
wie
wllic'i verAecren
Ohl
if
I weremouse
how
I
irunanhide
me
3818181
This content downloaded from 163.1.255.60 on Mon, 24 Nov 2014 15:48:02 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp -
8/10/2019 The Comic Servant in Mozart's Operas, Abram Loft
8/15
The
Musical
Quarterly
he
Musical
Quarterly
he
Musical
Quarterly
The
quintet,
Wie?
Ihr
an diesem
Schrekensort?,
permits
Papageno
to
emerge
from his subordinate
place
in the musical structure
only
at the very end of the piece, when
he
utters his
"battle-cry":
O
weh
0
wehl
0 weh
From this
point
on,
Papageno
does not
reappear
in the
music
until
his
aria,
Ein Madchen
oder
Weibchen.
Here
the
merry
fellow
sings
in
praise
of
his
prime
desire:
a mate.
He
states his
ideas
on the
subject with an admirable singleness of purpose and frames his text
with
music
of
suitable directness.
Despite
occasional
change
of
tempo
and
of
rhythmic
pattern,
the harmonic
motion
centers
closely
about
the
home
key,
F
major,
swinging
constantly
to and
fro
be-
tween
tonic
and dominant.
The melodic
line,
too,
falls into
sequen-
tial
rhythms:
Ei
hfd-
en
oder
Ueib-
win. ac
Pa-pa-ge-no
Sich
A
maid-en or a lit-tie wife is Pa-pa-ge-nos wih
Dann
schmekte
mir
Trinkeni
E
-sen,
Adan
ki5nnt'imit
ri-
ir
mea
-sen
Then
would
I
en-joy
foodandai
i,
I'd be
,
juA
as
good
as
your printes
Note how
the
wistful
yearning
of the
first section
is
replaced
by
the
more
vigorous capering
of the
6/8
measures.
Papageno
is so
over-
whelmed
at the
thought
of desires
fulfilled
that
he ventures
to
compare himself to princes. Yet here the music hesitates in ques-
tioning,
cautious
manner,
as
if
to show
that
Papageno
fears that
he
has
overstepped
his
ground:
dan
linnat'
ida
mit
Fursten
mir
mes-sea
I'd
be
just
as
good
as
your
princes
In
Papageno's
final
appearance,
his
music
takes
on a more
ex-
tended, through-composed structure; melodically, however, Papa-
geno
still
speaks
in the
short,
clipped
phrases
we have come
to
expect
from
him.
Partly governed
by
the words
of
the
text,
The
quintet,
Wie?
Ihr
an diesem
Schrekensort?,
permits
Papageno
to
emerge
from his subordinate
place
in the musical structure
only
at the very end of the piece, when
he
utters his
"battle-cry":
O
weh
0
wehl
0 weh
From this
point
on,
Papageno
does not
reappear
in the
music
until
his
aria,
Ein Madchen
oder
Weibchen.
Here
the
merry
fellow
sings
in
praise
of
his
prime
desire:
a mate.
He
states his
ideas
on the
subject with an admirable singleness of purpose and frames his text
with
music
of
suitable directness.
Despite
occasional
change
of
tempo
and
of
rhythmic
pattern,
the harmonic
motion
centers
closely
about
the
home
key,
F
major,
swinging
constantly
to and
fro
be-
tween
tonic
and dominant.
The melodic
line,
too,
falls into
sequen-
tial
rhythms:
Ei
hfd-
en
oder
Ueib-
win. ac
Pa-pa-ge-no
Sich
A
maid-en or a lit-tie wife is Pa-pa-ge-nos wih
Dann
schmekte
mir
Trinkeni
E
-sen,
Adan
ki5nnt'imit
ri-
ir
mea
-sen
Then
would
I
en-joy
foodandai
i,
I'd be
,
juA
as
good
as
your printes
Note how
the
wistful
yearning
of the
first section
is
replaced
by
the
more
vigorous capering
of the
6/8
measures.
Papageno
is so
over-
whelmed
at the
thought
of desires
fulfilled
that
he ventures
to
compare himself to princes. Yet here the music hesitates in ques-
tioning,
cautious
manner,
as
if
to show
that
Papageno
fears that
he
has
overstepped
his
ground:
dan
linnat'
ida
mit
Fursten
mir
mes-sea
I'd
be
just
as
good
as
your
princes
In
Papageno's
final
appearance,
his
music
takes
on a more
ex-
tended, through-composed structure; melodically, however, Papa-
geno
still
speaks
in the
short,
clipped
phrases
we have come
to
expect
from
him.
Partly governed
by
the words
of
the
text,
The
quintet,
Wie?
Ihr
an diesem
Schrekensort?,
permits
Papageno
to
emerge
from his subordinate
place
in the musical structure
only
at the very end of the piece, when
he
utters his
"battle-cry":
O
weh
0
wehl
0 weh
From this
point
on,
Papageno
does not
reappear
in the
music
until
his
aria,
Ein Madchen
oder
Weibchen.
Here
the
merry
fellow
sings
in
praise
of
his
prime
desire:
a mate.
He
states his
ideas
on the
subject with an admirable singleness of purpose and frames his text
with
music
of
suitable directness.
Despite
occasional
change
of
tempo
and
of
rhythmic
pattern,
the harmonic
motion
centers
closely
about
the
home
key,
F
major,
swinging
constantly
to and
fro
be-
tween
tonic
and dominant.
The melodic
line,
too,
falls into
sequen-
tial
rhythms:
Ei
hfd-
en
oder
Ueib-
win. ac
Pa-pa-ge-no
Sich
A
maid-en or a lit-tie wife is Pa-pa-ge-nos wih
Dann
schmekte
mir
Trinkeni
E
-sen,
Adan
ki5nnt'imit
ri-
ir
mea
-sen
Then
would
I
en-joy
foodandai
i,
I'd be
,
juA
as
good
as
your printes
Note how
the
wistful
yearning
of the
first section
is
replaced
by
the
more
vigorous capering
of the
6/8
measures.
Papageno
is so
over-
whelmed
at the
thought
of desires
fulfilled
that
he ventures
to
compare himself to princes. Yet here the music hesitates in ques-
tioning,
cautious
manner,
as
if
to show
that
Papageno
fears that
he
has
overstepped
his
ground:
dan
linnat'
ida
mit
Fursten
mir
mes-sea
I'd
be
just
as
good
as
your
princes
In
Papageno's
final
appearance,
his
music
takes
on a more
ex-
tended, through-composed structure; melodically, however, Papa-
geno
still
speaks
in the
short,
clipped
phrases
we have come
to
expect
from
him.
Partly governed
by
the words
of
the
text,
3828282
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http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp -
8/10/2019 The Comic Servant in Mozart's Operas, Abram Loft
9/15
The Comic
Servant in Mozart's
Operas
he Comic
Servant in Mozart's
Operas
he Comic
Servant in Mozart's
Operas
Pa-pa-ge-na,
Pa-pa-ge-na,
Pa-pa-
ge
-
na
influenced more
by
the tension of the circumstances
(for
this is
Papageno's
suicide
scene),
his
song emerges
in
fitful
snatches.
The
tearful sobs
of his
despair
Nuanihl-an,
es
bleibt
da-bei
Well
now
see
how
all
'is
lost
give
way
to
the
effervescent
patter
of
Papageno's
final
duet with
his
beloved
Papagena.
Generally
speaking,
Papageno
is swallowed
up
in the musical
fabric
whenever he
appears
in
concert
with
the
other
characters.
It
is
in
the
words of
the
dialogue
and
in
Papageno's
solo
pieces
that
we
may
find
his
true
personality.
And
whenever
he is
represented
as an
individual,
he offers a
welcome contrast
to
the somewhat
stuffy
abstractions
of the
plot.
In
Don
Giovanni,
on
the
other
hand,
the
plot
itself
has
the
urgency
and
immediate
meaning
of
everyday
experience.
Despite
the
improbability
of certain
episodes of the story, the work as a
whole
presents
a
continuous
sweep
towards
a
powerful
climax.
That
Mozart
himself realized
the
intensely
tragic
nature
of
the
work
is
shown
by
the fact that
he
did
not
approve
of
the
anticlimactic
epi-
logue
to the
opera
that
was
foisted
upon
him.4
The
conciliatory
tone
of this
piece
changes
the
spirit
of the
narrative from
one
of
tragedy
to
that
of
a
mixture of
farce
and
horror,
presented
with the
apolo-
gies customary
in
the commedia
dell'arte.
True,
the
libretto
pre-
pared
by
Lorenzo da
Ponte stems from a
long
line of Don
Juan
stories in which a righteous and explanatory epilogue played an
important part.5
As
envisioned